On the other hand, the poll says that -- "for the first time on the eve of a State of the Union address" -- more Americans have an overall negative view of Obama's presidency; 50% disapprove of the president's performance.

"His previous low at the start of a new year was 48% positive, 48% negative in 2012," the Post reports. "A year ago, his approval rating was 55%."

Obama delivers his annual State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night.

"Just 37% say they have either a good amount or a great deal of confidence in the president to make the right decisions for the country's future, while 63% say they do not. Those numbers are the mirror image of what they were when he was sworn into office in 2009 and lower than at any other time the question was asked by The Washington Post and ABC News.

"Obama's approval ratings are almost identical to those of George W. Bush at a similar point in his presidency in 2006. Other recent two-term presidents -- Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan -- were at 60-percent approval at the start of their sixth years, while Richard M. Nixon, in the middle of the Watergate scandal, was at 26%.

Asked about the poll on ABC's This Week, press secretary Jay Carney said: "I think what we saw last year in 2013 was a Washington that did not deliver for the American people. And the president sees this as a year of action to work with Congress where he can and to bypass Congress where necessary, to lift folks who want to come up into the middle class."